Rain pounded the moonless landscape, hitting so hard that the up-spray was as fierce as the downpour. Occasional bursts of lightning took snapshots of twisted Joshua trees.

The lights of the motel become fainter. The sodden muck tried to swallow their feet. Hammer pulled himself from the quagmire, climbed a rise and hurried over it. Lightning flashed and he caught sight of the maintenance shed.

Jim-Bean and Tageret arrived on the other side. The door swung open and closed in the wind. The chain that normally locked the shed had been snapped in two.

With both Glocks out, Hammer peered around the opening into the darkness of the trailer. Another flash of lightning illuminated the outline of Jawolalski’s form, his back to them.

“Jawolalski!” shouted Hammer. “It’s over. Get up.”

Jawolalski didn’t move. Hammer nodded to Kraygen and he flicked on the light. [MORE]